MAR
28 --Boston, MA... A California man, formerly of Newton,
was convicted today in federal court of possession of and conspiracy
to possess marijuana with intent to distribute.

June W. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge
of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New England and United
States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan , announced today that JOSHUA
GOLDSMITH, age 35, of Los Angeles, California, and formerly of
Newton, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District
Judge Mark L. Wolf to conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent
to distribute, and two counts of possession of marijuana with intent
to distribute.

At today’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told
the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence
would have proven that in April and May 2003, GOLDSMITH was
one of four individuals engaged in shipping large quantities of marijuana
from Southern California to Massachusetts. GOLDSMITH’S role,
in two separate shipments of approximately 200 pounds each, was to
package the marijuana in large wooden crates and arrange for its
shipment through a national freight forwarding company. The shipping
company alerted DEA about GOLDSMITH’S May shipment because
it met a drug shipment profile. A search warrant was obtained and
approximately 200 pounds of marijuana was found in the wooden crate.
A controlled delivery of the marijuana to GOLDSMITH’S co-conspirators
occurred on May 28, 2003 at the shipping company’s Massachusetts
terminal. One of GOLDSMITH’S co-conspirators, BENJAMIN
SILVER, was recently sentenced to 60 months in federal prison.
Two of his co-conspirators, JOHN GILLIES and JOHN RYAN,
previously pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Judge
Wolf scheduled sentencing for June 21, 2006. At that time, GOLDSMITH faces
up to 40 years' imprisonment, with a five year mandatory minimum
sentence, to be followed by at least four years of supervised release,
and a $ 4,000,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Boston Field Office of the DEA and the
DEA’S Regional Drug Task Force in Greensboro, North Carolina.